Tag: Nadia Miko

Leaving things to the last minute requires solid concentration skills to get everything done, and popping pills or guzzling caffeine and energy drinks to finish that essay is a common narrative among students. Coffee, energy drinks, and drugs that treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), like Adderall, are what the scientific community call “stimulants”— substances that excite and speed up the brain to increase alertness, attention, and energy, according to Health Canada. But should students rely on stimulants to help them study, and do they actually impact academic performance? Why do students use study drugs? Charlotte Halliday, a third-year psychology student at Carleton University, said she uses caffeine and Adderall to help combat the anxiety of completing last-minute assignments and […]

This novel is a very relevant and important piece of contemporary fiction. Angie Thomas’ story was inspired by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and her characters are a powerful portrayal of racism in the modern Western world. The novel follows the main character Starr as she confronts police violence, discrimination, and racist rhetoric. At 16 her childhood friend Khalil is murdered by a police officer. Although he was unarmed, he was classified a threat. The news identifies him as a gang member and a drug dealer, but the community repeats he was wrongfully murdered and protest his unlawful treatment. This is where the novel becomes interesting. Thomas beautifully and powerfully captures the haunting confusion Starr falls into as a […]

Ottawa’s theatre scene suffers from a lack of media coverage, according to many members of the community, despite a wealth of high-quality productions. There are many theatre companies in Ottawa, including the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC), Bear & Co., and the Three Sisters theatre company, and a plethora of other student and community groups. Bear & Co.’s media spokesperson, Jessica Ruano, said Ottawa performing arts don’t get the media coverage their counterparts in other cities do. “Why is theatre so much more celebrated in Toronto?” Ruano said. “I hope for that [kind of coverage] in Ottawa, but I have noticed newspapers are firing their theatre critics and that leaves a huge lack of media coverage in the arts which […]

Vancouver’s very own Bad Pop visited Bar Robo on Mar. 5, supported by Ottawa bands Empty Nesters and Holy Christopher. Having recently changed their name from “Hot Panda,” this was Bad Pop’s debut Canadian show accompanied by their new album and identity, as well as their first-ever tour. Singer Chris Connelly did a victory lap around the stage to start off the performance before pausing to rep Ottawa’s BEN BEN restaurant and thanking Canada for its politics. Testing the limits with voice-morphing technologies and multitasking between instruments were highlights of the show, and made their set fun to watch. The Charlatan spoke to the band before the show about their favourite tracks, their new identity, and playing a Canadian […]

This past week Bear & Co. debuted their production of Finishing the Suit, written by local playwright Lawrence Aronovitch. The story follows an unnamed tailor, played by Matt Pilipiak, as he converses with his deceased lover Jimmy and former boss, the Duke of Wellington, played by Isaac Giles and David Whiteley. The tailor is a queer Jewish man in 1970s New York tackling loss and isolation. The most striking thing about the play is the political nature of the story. The set is dimly lit and very minimal, but the choice of dreary colours and sombre tones fits delightfully with the dialogue. The costumes were perfectly fitting without being over-the-top or underdressed. The story is a difficult one to visually […]